Opinion: On Jidenna, AK47s And Twitter; Much Ado About Nothing [+ VIDEO]

Nigerians are some of the toughest people on earth. They wade through any water, however turbid. And they stay relentless in their hustles and everyday pursuits, with a smile on their faces.

You can say the legend, Fela, saw this and it inspired his lyrics to the song ‘Suffering And Smiling’, and you won’t be far off.

However, you don’t you dare come at the people in anyway whatsoever. Don’t call them out on anything bordering on tribal, religious and/ or political differences. Don’t.

Leave them as they are. And they won’t ‘clean you out’. It’s that simple.

But Jidenna didn’t get the memo. And I’m not sure anybody in his camp told him to steer clear on issues this sensitive.

It’s all so funny, especially given his Nigerian roots, that he would go on VladTV and grant a horrendous interview in a bid to ‘keep it real’ and things. Tragic.

Well, it’s not news that the entire online community in Nigeria (well, almost the entire Twitter community) recently launched a grand onslaught on Mr. Jidenna Theodore Mobisson.

Twitter users in Nigeria practically took out the man over the weekend, something like an angered group needing only slight priming to ignite and set ablaze any trangressor.

But be that as it may, there are questions we should look to answer –

1. Was the man wrong when he said those things about the bizarre state of insecurity in the land?

2. Is it out of place that the rapper’s immediate families in Nigeria might have had a sour experience with the notorious kidnapping rings up East?

The people had varying stances on the issue as they ranted; with some saying he possibly couldn’t have brought in that amount of firearms into the country in saner climes.

As this view made rounds, another faction deconstructed this logic stating the man could have gotten clearance and legally brought in the weapons.

The bigger population was actually against the rapper. In other words, this group held that for a man whose name –Jidenna– literally means ‘embrace the father’, he ‘pointed to his people’s family house with a left hand’ on VladTV.

Whatever the case, we can’t deny that Nigeria, at the moment, is heavily battered in terms of security and otherwise. And against that backdrop, it is okay if we excuse Jidenna’s utterances on the day. After all, he wasn’t born here. No?

Whatever it is, I have one advice for the Wonderland Records signee because Nigerians are the best, but he isn’t aware from all indications.

You see, Nigerians are the most sincere around, and they like their security situation just as it is today. Next time, when they ask you anywhere, just say ‘no comments’ if you can’t come up with something more politically correct.

I want you to bear this in mind, so that next time when you get to shine through the Nigerian internet space as you did over the weekend, it’d be for your music and some real creativity, and not for something as your skin color, or hilarious beard, or your obvious lack of knowledge in areas of Nigeria’s landscape and geography.

Lastly, we know ‘Yoga’ is your claim to fame. And it’s okay. But in the event things don’t pop in the American music industry, don’t be shy or afraid to relocate and try something in Nigeria. Nobody will strangle you. Don’t worry; there are a lot of returnees and IJGBs (I Just Got Backs) here.

Eldee The Don has already put out a word for you.

In fact, you can always count on Banky W and MI to show you around.

By the way, here’s the video that got the entire conversation started –

Jidenna is a Nigerian-American rapper/ singer signed to Wonderland Records, a label that also houses Janelle Monae.

He was in Nigeria to bury his father a while ago, and following that and a certain misconception he’s had over time granted an interview on VladTV that sparked a fury on the Nigerian Twitter community over the weekend.

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